Cubs reliever Kerry Wood played a role in the team's trade for starter Matt Garza. Wood accepted a very team-friendly contract to return to Chicago after stints in Cleveland and New York. "Obviously, we needed somebody new at first base, and it came down to a couple choices," general manager Jim Hendry said. "In hindsight, I think we have the right guy [in Carlos Pena]. And we're very grateful to Kerry for making the deal he made with us. It enabled us to look at [Andrew] Cashner in a different light in some ways and also know we have a lot of experience at the back end if [Carlos] Marmol needs a blow or somebody pulls a hamstring. "We never left the [organizational] meetings thinking we were going to get Kerry Wood back," Hendry said. "I don't think any of us would trade the way the three players have come to the organization." Wood signed for $1.5 million, much less than the $11 million he earned last season.